Jared Anthony Lohse, a 27-year-old man from San Angelo, Texas, was remembered for his mischievous wit and his love for baseball, especially the New York Yankees. Born and raised in San Angelo, he attended Lake View High School and was a father to a daughter, Harlee D’Lynn, and a son, Koltyn. His family, including his mother, Teresa Lohse Riley, and his siblings, were left to mourn his sudden death in the spring of 2019.
In the early morning hours of March 20, 2019, first responders were called to a structure fire at a residence in the 4800 block of North Chadbourne Street. After the fire was under control, authorities discovered the bodies of two men inside the smoldering home. They were identified as Jared Lohse and Jack Harris Jr., 47. A preliminary autopsy determined that both men had died from gunshot wounds before the fire, and their deaths were ruled homicides.
The report specified that Lohse had been shot twice in the face, while Harris had sustained a single gunshot wound to the face.
Investigators quickly identified a suspect, 36-year-old Dwayne Chance Chadwick, who had been staying at the residence. According to court records, Chadwick and a roommate were allegedly behind on rent and were due to be evicted from the house by March 22. Lohse had planned to move into the home with his fiancée after the eviction. Just before the killings, Lohse and Harris had visited a convenience store and spoken with another resident of the house, telling her they were on their way there. She never saw them alive again. Police also spoke with a witness who claimed Chadwick admitted to shooting two men, whom he called "Baby J" (Lohse) and "Chubby" (Harris), in their faces. The witness said Chadwick then asked him to go to the house and set it on fire, but he refused.
San Angelo police arrested Dwayne Chance Chadwick on unrelated charges on the day of the murders. The following day, March 21, 2019, he was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Lohse and Harris. His bond was set at two million dollars.
In June 2019, a grand jury indicted Chadwick on a more serious charge of capital murder of multiple persons. The next month, in July 2019, the 51st District Attorney’s office filed a notice of its intent to seek the death penalty in the case.
The case has not yet gone to trial. In a pre-trial hearing held via Zoom on March 11, 2021, Chadwick’s defense attorneys filed motions to delay the trial and to preclude the death penalty, arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic had hindered their ability to properly investigate. The judge denied the motion to delay the trial but took the motion regarding the death penalty under advisement for a later review. As of March 2021, the case remained pending trial.
